In the 2006 film Rocky Balboa, Rocky's trainer Duke (played by Tony Burton), laid out the game plan for an old Balboa to face the current heavyweight champion of the world:
"What we'll be calling on is good ol' fashion blunt force trauma. Horsepower. Heavy-duty, cast-iron, piledriving punches that will have to hurt so much they'll rattle his ancestors. Every time you hit him with a shot, it's gotta feel like he tried kissing the express train. Yeah! Let's start building some hurtin' bombs!"
From the sound of it, 39-year-old Shane Mosley is looking for something similar in his May 7 fight against Manny Pacquiao, the current pound-for-pound king and the prohibitive favorite in the fight.
"I know how difficult this fight is," says the veteran from Pomona, California. "Pacquiao fires punches from all kinds of angles, is on his toes during late rounds and gives you different looks.
"But pure power can take over all of that. I know I will be able to get good hard punches onto Pacquiao."
Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KO) will need something, that's for sure. In a pair of 2010 fights, he was outclassed and befuddled by Floyd Mayweather Jr., then went to an ugly draw in September against Sergio Mora. His stamina was questioned in both fights. Pacquiao, meanwhile, went 12 rounds of high energy beating both Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito, who brought very different fights to the Filipino superstar.
"My energy is great, at a very high level," says Mosley. "I have a lot of power in both hands. I know Pacquiao will go right to the attack which is a great advantage for me."
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum also noted today that the fight is sold out at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
"Well, this is a legitimate sellout. There is not a ticket to be had. I mean, there are zero tickets available. You can't get a ticket for the love of money. At the box office, at TicketMaster. I mean, it is absolutely sold out," said Arum.
Pacquiao and Mosley meet on May 7 on Showtime pay-per-view. Bad Left Hook will have much more on the fight in the coming weeks.
After the jump: More photos from Mosley's media workout.
Photos by Chris Farina/Top Rank
